We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Birdsong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting our own business happened organically. We were living out of the van, I was coaching online and Brittni was going back to school. It was a lifestyle that was years in the making. I joined my partner, Cory Smith, founder of Runyourpersonalbest.com in 2017. The flexibility of coaching online allowed us to travel full-time for years – we were free. The coaching company has since grown to top 3 on google if you search “online running coach.”

Anyway, after building our first van, we were traveling to van shows and expos with a company called Backwoods Adventure Mods out of Arkansas. We had so much excitement about our first rig and people continually told us that we needed to pursue building vans as a career. Initially we didn’t think much of it, but it continued to happen and it excited us. Fast forward – we were in Austin and somebody offered us a significant amount of money for our rig. We denied, but sat down and had a serious chat about if we wanted to sell. We found our next van and decided to sell. The decision was monumental and a gateway to a completely different career path that we were passionate about. We did the same thing with van number 2.

At the time, there was a shortage of 4×4 sprinter vans. The demand was high and you could only find a handful available at any given moment. After selling our 2nd van, we invested in 2 more 4×4 sprinter vans. That is when we knew that it was real – we started adVANture LLC in 2020.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Brittni and I own a boutique van building company. The main difference is that we only do 2-3 builds per year, but are 100% responsible for everything. This includes building, quality control, r&d, etc. We take pride in what we do and each build is done very meticulously and with love.

Our career path has definitely been all over the place. We were both olympic hopefuls in the marathon which meant that we lived off a shoe-string budget trying to free up as much time as we could to train while still being able to put food on the table. The laundry list of jobs includes, but is not limited to: managing running stores, dog-walking, barista, ski-boot repair/fitting, crossing guard for the police department, client/service coordinator, ambassadors and bartenders.

Brittni has a degree in communications and is a certified health coach and I have a bachelors in exercise physiology and an MBA. Obviously our career path has not been linear and we have made some sacrifices to get where we are. Hard work, combined with a bit of luck made 2021 our best year financially as a company.

I wouldn’t say 2022 has been the same, but we are constantly navigating and going with the flow. We now offer van consultations and rentals to help off-set not selling a van.

adVANture LLC has come from 100% our own investment – an investment in ourselves. Building a van is a big up-front cost, but it’s worth it when you see it drive away with a new, excited owner! With that said, if you’re holding on to several vans at a time, it can be stressful. We currently have a couple vans for sale, but the market is becoming more saturated with builders and the economy is also changing. The has put a damper on all van sales. Companies that had a 2 year wait list now have a zero week wait list. With the shift in economy, people are scared to spend their money. This has us continually being creative and thinking about the future.

I don’t think we will build vans forever, but we are still passionate about it and will continue to ride the wave!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think Brittni deserves a big shoutout. She has always supported my crazy ideas and has been directly by my side to execute them. From quitting our brick and mortar (more secure) jobs to build-out a van and hit the road. We were tired of living for the weekend and wanted to live a life that we were proud of.

After my accident in 2017, I think “the 4 hour work week” had a lot of influence on us shifting gears. The book is basically about not working for the “corporate world”, and creating a business that will fund your lifestyle and dreams – living like you’re wealthy, without actually having to be wealthy. We are rich with love, travel, and friendships. We re-prioritized our values and time and experiences were at the top of the list.

Our family and friends supported us every step of the way. For that, we are forever grateful.

Website: www.2runners1sprinter.com

Instagram: @2runners1sprinter

Image Credits
Austin Kilcullen Caleb Kerr Christian Pondella

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.